Samuel JohnsonHe was a servant to the public, a writer for hire. He was a hero, an author adding to the glory of his nation. But can a writer be both hack and hero? The career of Samuel Johnson, recounted here by Lawrence Lipking, proves that the two can be one. And it further proves, in its enduring interest for readers, that academic fashions today may be a bit hasty in pronouncing the "death of the author." |
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... poets , whose self - conscious learning departs from nature in order to im- press - but not delight - the audience . Here Cowley's choice of life and choice of poetry seem of a piece ; he is a poet's poet , not a reader's . Despite ...
... poet " ( 3 : 399 ) . The major poets receive extended tributes , as conclusive as anything Johnson ever wrote . In the end , apparently , great poetry vindicates life and sometimes may even redeem it . After all reservations and ...
... poets , whose self - conscious learning departs from nature in order to im- press - but not delight - the audience . Here Cowley's choice of life and choice of poetry seem of a piece ; he is a poet's poet , not a reader's . Despite ...
Contents
the Western Islands of Scotland | 234 |
The Lives of the English Poets | 259 |
Johnsons Endings | 295 |
Copyright | |
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